Elastic band construction



March 15, 1938- w. FORSTNER ELASTIC BAND CONSTRUCTION Filed May 15, 1956 Patented Mar. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES ELASTIC BAND CONSTRUCTION William Forstner, Irvington, N. J., assignor to Forstner Chain Corporation, a corporation of New Jersey Application May 15, 1936, Serial No. 79,902

1 Claim.

My present invention relates to spring belts, braces, suspenders, and the like, which have an elastic band, and has particular reference to a novel connection for attaching the elastic band to the buckle and other fittings.

It is the principal object of my invention to provide an improved and more efficient connection for attaching the elastic band to the other portions of the spring belt, whereby the parts may be readily attached together and greater security against separation results.

It is a further object of my invention to devise a very simple connection which can be readily manufactured at small cost, and which presents an ornamental appearance.

With the above and other objects and advantageous features in View, my invention consists of a novel arrangement of parts more fully disclosed in the detailed description following, in, conjunction with the accompanying drawing, and more specifically defined in the claim appended thereto.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a front elevation of a belt embodying the novel connections;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of one connection, showing the preliminary assembly;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the buckle fitting prior to assembly; and

Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views of the bottom and top plates forming the novel connection, the top plate being in reversed position to show the locking tabs.

Referring to the drawing, the belt includes an elastic band Ill, a buckle fitting H having the usual buckle l2, and a tongue fitting l3 having the usual buckle openings Hi, the elastic band being connected to the buckle and tongue fittings by means of connections I5. The elastic band is preferably made of spring wire, having a plurality of spring turns or coils. Each connection, see Figs. 4 and 5, includes a bottom plate l6 and a top plate ll, the bottom plate having a plurality of upwardly extending prongs l8 along one edge thereof, and two spaced teeth It at the other edge thereof, which teeth are adapted to be inserted into selected inner coils 26 of the elastic band ill, the teeth then being folded over so as to lock firmly about these coils. The buckle fitting H, which preferably is made of leather but may be made of any other suitable material, has suitable openings or slots 2| which are adapted to receive the prongs I8, these prongs being turned over if desired to lock the end connection to the buckle fitting; the lower plate It is preferably indented as indicated at 22, whereby the upper plate ll may be positioned over the lower plate, with its two ends 23 extending along the edges of the elastic band and the buckle fitting l I so as to conceal the joint, the ends 23 having tabs 24 which are bent over so as to be received in the recesses 22, whereby the connecting assembly is completed.

The invention is therefore particularly adapted for articles such as belts, braces, straps, and the like, which articles require the connection of an elastic to an inelastic member; both members being provided with openings, the lower plate has elements extending into the openings of the two members, and the upper plate is then locked to the lower plate so as to prevent separation or removal of the connecting elements of the lower plate from the openings of the two connected members.

While I have described a specific constructional embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that changes in the parts, in the materials used for the parts, in their relative arrangement and size, and in their operative relation, may be made to suit the requirements for different articles without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

In an article of the character described, in combination, a spring band formed from wire and having rows of loop coils, said loop coils having their axes perpendicular to the general plane of the spring band, an end fitting of flexible material, and a metallic connecting device comprising a bottom plate having lock elements for engaging said fitting and teeth elements engaging selected coils of said band, and a top plate cooperating with said bottom plate for locking the engaging parts in engaged relation.

' WILLIAM FORSTNER. 

